| Führer und Reichskanzler (“Leader and Reichchancellor”) Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) and Luftwaffe (“German Air Force”) Chief of High Command Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering (January 12, 1893 – October 15, 1946) inspect Heer (“German Army”) and Luftwaffe officer cadets at the Sportspalast before Hitler’s speech to 7,000 candidates on the occasion of Frederick II, known as “Frederick the Great” (January 24, 1712 – August 17, 1786) birthday. The last Hohenzollern King of Prussia from 1740 until 1786, he was known for his reorganization of the Prussian Army and success in the Silesian wars of 1740-1745. Prussia became a major military power in Europe under his rule. Hitler held up Frederick the Great as “models of the best soldiership.” Goering was said to have led 3 cheers of Sieg Heil (“Hail Victory”) for Hitler. These yearly speeches to cadets, small Nuremberg-style rallies, were more subdued than Nazi Party events; the military cadets, disciplined, did not interrupt the Führer with cheers or calling his name. But they served to cement the young officer corps to loyalty to their leader. Hitler said: “We have 2 states as our enemies: England and France! These 2 states owe their existence as world powers and as great powers solely to the century-long decline of the German Volk. We Germans number 82,000,000 people in today’s Reich. This means that we are the only state, aside from China, to boast such a great number of people of 1 Volkstum (“Folkdom”) in a contiguous setting. Germany has become a factor again [in world politics] through National Socialism. This war was an inevitable 1! This Europe at the mercy of France and England begrudges the German Volk its existence since it does not want to bear German greatness and power and because it believes it cannot bear this structure. However much we limit ourselves, we shall never be able to appease France and England! You are soldiers today. I, too, was once a soldier and I re¬ main 1 today. Though this struggle for my Volk was an inevitable 1 [historically], I have the absolute will to see this struggle through in my lifetime. Then today’s German generation shall take up this great task, and it shall not say it will leave it to its children. Today, for the 1st time in German history, the German giant faces only 1 front and is armed better than ever before. They believed that they would be able to engage us in struggle along several fronts this time, too, but in this they failed because of the alliances and treaties formed. They [Germany’s enemies in the West] are all waiting for action. We decide when these actions will take place. Let no 1 entertain any doubt, however, that they will indeed take place. No struggle in world history was ever decided by inaction, by staying low or on the sidelines. Rather, any historic struggle is decided only by victory, and any victory is decided only in the struggle.” CBS reporter William L. Shirer (February 23, 1904 – December 28, 1993)) reported by radio from Berlin that night: “The other big story in Germany tonight, judging by the headlines, is about the Führer. Id on’t remember seeing al ine in the papers about Herr Hitler since Christmas. But tonight the papers inform us that he went to the Sport Palace today to address 7,000 soldiers who are about to become officers. We haven’t the text of his speech. We’re merely told the Führer spoke about the goal and necessity of the struggle of the German people and about the duties and the tasks of the officers in the Nazi army. He pointed, the official statement says, to Frederick the Great as the ideal for German soldiers. At the end of the speech, concludes the official account, Field Marshal Goering proposed three rousing cheers for the Führer.” The January 1940 Cadets speech was the 1st time Hitler was seen in public since the November 8, 1939, attempt on his life at the Bürgerbräukeller in Munich, when Georg Elser (January 4, 1903 – April 9, 1945) attempted to kill Hitler by bombing the beer hall, which was a favorite of the Nazis. 8 people were killed and 62 injured. Elser was held as a prisoner for more than 5 years until he was executed at Dachau concentration camp less than a month before the surrender of Nazi Germany. The Sportspalast speech was international news, as much for the public reappearance of Hitler, as for the content of his address. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0395.jpg |
| Image Size | 136.13 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 1229 x 750 |
| Photographer | Heinrich Hoffmann |
| Photographer Title | Heinrich Hoffmann Presse |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | January 24, 1940 |
| Location | Sportspalast |
| City | Berlin |
| State or Province | Berlin |
| Country | Germany |
| Archive | |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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